Refreshable braille display

ABSTRACT

A refreshable braille display device is provided comprising a plurality of Braille pins running through a perforated body of the reader, the pins arranged in the spacing and order of Braille dots of standard Braille cells. The Braille reader may be coupled to a device for Braille text generation via selective hammering or impacting of Braille pins. From a default position where all pins of the reader are raised relative to a first, front surface of the reader, one or more pins are selectively impacted in a sequence to create a Braille pattern of raised and lowered pins based on a desired text conversion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/027,213, filed May 19, 2020.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a low-cost refreshable Brailledisplay with Braille pins that are held in place passively, withoutexternal support.

BACKGROUND

Braille is a tactile writing system used by people who are visuallyimpaired. Braille text includes a series of characters, each characterdepicted as a specific combination of dots and spaces on a Braille cell.An example Braille cell is characterized by 6 dots arranged in a 2 by 3matrix. The specific arrangement of the dots in the matrix may vary as afunction of the language encoded by the Braille text (e.g., englishversus arabic versus mandarin).

Typically, Braille documents are generated by embossing dots on Braillepaper that is thicker and sturdier than regular print paper. However,Braille paper is expensive and can be cost-prohibitive. Further, onceembossed with text, the Braille paper cannot be reused to display anyalternative text. In recent years, refreshable Braille displays (RBDs)have been developed to provide visually impaired people with moreoptions for access to text-based material. Therein, anelectro-mechanical Braille terminal converts the output of an associatedcomputer or computer monitor into Braille cells with Braille dots.Typically, the terminal displays one row of Braille text at a time. Therow of Braille cells can be refreshed by repositioning the dots afterthe user has completed reading the displayed text.

Various technologies are currently used for generating and refreshingBraille dots in such RBDs. In some examples, where the dots are createdby round-tipped pins that are raised through holes in a flat surface ofthe Braille terminal, the pins are held in their position via the use ofelectric force (e.g., via electric motors and batteries) or an activelatching mechanism that mechanically holds the pins in a raisedposition. When the electric force or the latching mechanism is released,the pins are returned to a lowered position, thereby refreshing thedisplay. The electric force or latching mechanism can then be used toraise the pins in another sequence to display a new text. In otherexamples, RBDs may use piezoelectric technology, shape memory alloys, orelastomeric materials to generate individual Braille dots whose shapeand position can be maneuvered. Still other active mechanisms can beused for holding Braille dots in a raised position during a readingoperation.

However, such RBDs have a variety of issues. First, they typically arelimited to displaying only one row of Braille text at a time. Thislimits the amount of text that can be displayed. It also limits thenon-textual material that can be displayed (such as graphs, maps, etc.).Secondly, the user has to stay close to the computer and associated RBDterminal to read the text.

As a further issue, RBDs are expensive to manufacture and operate. Inaddition to being cost-prohibitive, they can also be power intensive.Furthermore, to enable the Braille cells of such displays to matchstandard Braille dot sizes (which are in the millimeter range),significantly complex latching and actuations mechanisms may berequired.

As a result, RBDs and Braille paper have remained inaccessible to alarge percentage of users, such as those in developing countries withlimited resources and inconsistent power supply. Therefore, affordableBraille readers that can be refreshed and operated with reduced powerdependency need to be developed to allow access to a larger population.Furthermore, it may be desirable to provide a Braille reader that can beseparated from a computer terminal and read anywhere, akin to Braillepaper.

SUMMARY

The present invention relates to a refreshable braille display systemhaving a refreshable Braille reader (or Braille display device)configured with a plurality of Braille pins running through a perforatedbody of the reader, the pins arranged in the spacing and order ofBraille dots of standard Braille cells. The Braille reader may becoupled to a text generating device for Braille text generation viaselective hammering or impacting of Braille pins. From a defaultposition, where all pins of the reader are raised (or lowered) relativeto a first, front surface of the reader, one or more pins areselectively impacted in a sequence to create a pattern of raised andlowered pins based on a desired text conversion. By impacting pins on afirst (e.g., front) surface of the Braille reader, Braille text isselectively created on the first surface, or on a second, opposite(e.g., rear) surface of the reader. When the second surface of thereader is used for display, the impacted Braille pins are raised on thesecond surface, creating a texture akin to Braille dots on Braillepaper. When the first surface of the reader is used to display Brailletext, the impacted Braille pins are lowered on the first surface whileunimpacted pins remain raised, creating a texture akin to Braille dotson Braille paper. The perforations through the body of the reader thathouse the pins are sized such that the impacted pins are self-held inplace via friction alone, and without the need for any external supportor latching mechanism. The reader can optionally be uncoupled from thetext generation device, allowing the user to read the whole text at anylocation at their leisure. Thereafter, the reader can be recoupled tothe same text generation device, and the device can be used to bothrefresh the reader and generate new text for display.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows an example refreshable Braille display system comprising aBraille reader with Braille input pins running there-through and aBraille text generator for generating a pattern of raised and loweredpins representative of Braille text on the Braille reader.

FIG. 2 shows a top perspective view of a Braille display device inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the Braille display device of FIG. 2 .

FIG. 4 shows an example usage scenario of the Braille display device.

FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of a Braille text generator inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a side view of the Braille text generator of FIG. 5 .

FIGS. 7A-B shows example embodiments of operation of a Braille textgenerator for generating Braille text on a Braille display device.

FIG. 8 shows an example method of generating a pattern of raised andlowered pins representative of Braille text on a Braille display device.

FIG. 9 shows an example method of actuating Braille pins of a Brailledisplay device.

FIG. 10 shows an example method of refreshing Braille pins of a Brailledisplay device.

FIG. 11 shows an example conversion of regular text to a pattern ofraised and lowered pins representative of an equivalent Braille text bymoving an impact driver and impacting Braille pins of a display device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Methods and devices are provided for displaying a pattern of raised andlowered pins (herein also referred to as a Braille pattern)representative of an equivalent Braille text to a visually impairedperson. The device enables Braille pins displaying a Braille pattern,representative of a Braille text, to be held in position without theneed for mechanical or powered latching means. The device may beintegrated with a personal computer or smartphone so as to displayBraille text corresponding to text retrieved on a display device of thepersonal computer. Alternatively, the device may be used independentlyfor displaying a desired text. By providing a low-cost,power-independent mechanism, Braille readers can be provided to a widersegment of visually impaired population. Methods are also provided forrapid generation of text and refreshing of text on Braille readers via aunidirectional movement of an impact driver over an array of Braillepins.

FIG. 1 shows an example embodiment of a Braille display system 100. Thesystem includes a computer, or controller 102. The computer may be apersonal computer, or any other microprocessor, being used forretrieving and displaying a text to a visually impaired person. Text maybe retrieved from a database (local or remote), or from an internetserver 104. Computer 102 may also include smart devices, such assmartphones, smart watches, tablets, etc. In some examples, the computer102 includes any device configured to store data, and/or retrieve datafrom a server 104, such as an internet or cloud-based server, via wiredor wireless communication. As used herein, it will be appreciated thattext is used generically to refer to any content that is displayed on adisplay device 103 of the computer, the content eventually convertedinto a Braille format, such as into Braille text, for haptic display toa visually impaired person on the refreshable Braille reader 106 of thepresent invention. Thus, while text may include textual content frombooks, websites, documents, etc., text may also include contentdisplayed in the form of graphs (e.g., figures, pie charts, maps, etc.)as well as spreadsheets, images, etc. Still other forms of content to bedisplayed in Braille format is generically referred to herein as text.

Computer 102 is coupled to a text generator 108. Text generator 108 isconfigured to convert the text retrieved on computer 102, and displayedon display device 103, into a Braille pattern for display on reader 106.The received text may include text in any language such as English,French, Hindi, Mandarin, a vernacular language, a mathematical language,code-based language, natural languages, etc. As used herein, Brailletext refers to a series of Braille characters comprising dots andspaces, and the Braille pattern refers to a specific, individual patternof raised and lowered Braille pins generated via applying an impactingforce on selected Braille pins 118 of reader 106. It will be appreciatedthat the Braille text and corresponding Braille pattern may includeBraille text corresponding to any language. Based on the language, for agiven alphabet letter, the arrangement of Braille dots in a Braillematrix will vary. In some embodiments, the received text and the Brailletext (and resulting Braille pattern) are a common language, such as thereceived text being English text and the Braille pattern beingrepresentative of English Braille text. In other embodiments, thereceived text corresponds to a first language while the Braille patternis representative of Braille text of a second, different language. Forexample, the received text may be in English while the Braille patterndisplayed on the reader corresponds to Mandarin Braille text. Aselaborated below, by adjusting the position of the Braille pins relativeto a planar surface of the reader, haptic feedback may be created on thereader 106 that is akin to embossed Braille dots. This enables avisually impaired user to read the Braille pattern as Braille text.

In some examples, computer 102 may include hardware and/or software fora conversion module 120 that includes instructions for converting textdisplayed on computer 102 to the Braille text and the equivalent Braillepattern. Alternatively, the conversion module may be included in textgenerator 108. As elaborated with reference to FIG. 8 , the conversionmodule 120 may convert each character of text displayed on computer 102to corresponding Braille characters, each character defined by aspecific sequence of dots and spaces in a specified Braille matrix(e.g., a 2×3 matrix). In embodiments where the received text and thedisplayed Braille pattern correspond to different languages, thecomputer 102 or the text generator 108 may be configured with anadditional translation module that enables concurrent translation of thetext. Alternatively, the conversion module 120 may include instructionsfor text translation. As elaborated with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 ,the series of Braille characters may then be converted into a series ofcommands that indicate where a given Braille pin needs to be impacted(I-pin) or not (O-pin) to generate the corresponding Braille pattern.

Text generator 108 includes one or more impact drivers 110 powered by amotor 112. In one example, motor 112 is an electrically driven motorwhich may be powered by a battery or via direct electrical supply. Instill another example, the motor may be driven by a renewable source ofpower such as solar energy (e.g., through the use of solar cells coupledto the text generator). In one embodiment, where the impact driver(s)110 are driven by a battery powered motor, the battery may be containedwithin a housing of the text generator. Operation of the impact driversand/or motors may be directed based on signals received from amicroprocessor 111 of the text generator. The microprocessor may beconfigured with computer-readable instructions that, when executed,actuate the impact driver to apply an impacting force on one or moreBraille pins of display device 103, thereby creating a pattern of raisedand lowered pins which correspond to a Braille text. Thecomputer-readable instructions may comprise instructions as to theidentity of which pins to be impacted. Additionally or optionally, theinstructions may comprise instructions as to the amount of impactingforce to be applied, which can affect the extent to which a pin israised or lowered relative to the surface of the reader. This may beparticularly useful when rendering a Braille pattern representative ofnon-textual content such as images, geographic features (e.g., hills andvalleys, etc.). The resulting pattern of raised and lowered pins canthen be read by a user using tactile interaction between the user'sfingers and the pins. In other embodiments, the actuation of the impactdriver and motor may be based on signals received from computer 102.

One or more impact drivers 110 may be provided in text generator 108.Each impact driver may be configured as a rod-like device with aterminal impact surface that makes contact with a single Braille pinupon actuation of the impact driver. Alternatively, the impact drivermay be configured as a small hammer. The impact driver is sized to onlyimpact a single Braille pin at a time. This allows for increasedaccuracy of Braille text generation. As described below, upon contact,the impact driver moves the corresponding Braille pin into a plane ofthe Braille reader.

In one example embodiment, multiple impact drivers may be arranged in anarray, such as 6 impact drivers arranged in accordance with a standard2×3 Braille cell matrix. In such an arrangement, the multiple impactdrivers may be actuated in synchrony to impact Braille pins of a singleBraille cell and generate a single Braille character in one go. Then, amoveable printhead moves the array of impact drivers to the next Braillecell to impact Braille pins in the array of that Braille cell andgenerate the next Braille character. Alternative embodiments, withoutdeparting from the scope of the disclosure, may include multiple impactdrivers per row of the reader, a single impact driver per row of thereader, a single impact driver per Braille cell of the reader, etc.

In another example embodiment, described herein, the text generator 108includes a single overall impact driver 110 that is moved along a lengthand breadth of reader 106 via a movable printhead 114. The printhead maybe coupled to one or more gears such that it is configured to movehorizontally or vertically along a planar surface of the reader.Further, different printheads may be dedicated for moving the impactdriver versus moving the reader. Example actuation of the moveableprinthead along an x-y plane is shown at FIGS. 7A-B. In someembodiments, the moveable printhead moves the impact driver along thex-y plane via the use of a linear toothed rack gear. In still otherexamples, various combinations of linear gears (such as linear toothedspur gears), rotatory gears, and cams may be used. Further, the moveableprinthead 114 may include any mechanism as commonly known in the artthat enables the impact driver 110 to be moved over the reader 106.

FIG. 7A shows a first example embodiment wherein a first printhead 702is responsible for moving the reader 106 along an x-y plane to positiona selected Braille pin 118 below the impact driver 110 while a secondprinthead 704 moves the impact driver along a z-plane to impact theselected Braille pin 118. FIG. 7B shows another example embodimentwherein a single printhead 706 is responsible for moving the impactdriver in an x-y plane to position the impact driver over a selectedBraille pin 118 (as shown by moving of the impact driver from an earlierposition indicated in a shaded format to a final position in the solidformat). Further, the same printhead 706 is responsible for moving theimpact driver in a z-plane to impact the selected Braille pin. It willbe appreciated that while the depicted example shows the printheadsconfigured to actuate the impact driver from above the reader 106, inother embodiments, the printheads may be configured to actuate theimpact driver from below the plane of the RBD without departing from thescope of the invention.

As such, various embodiments are envisioned for the text generator 108.As a non-limiting example, easily available “off the shelf” modularelements and robotics components may be used. FIGS. 5-6 depict side andperspective views of a text generator developed using elements from acommercially available LEGO (Trademark) robotics kit including modularbricks, gears, sensors (TECHNIC trademark products in the depictedexample of FIGS. 5-6 ), and a programmable microcontroller (EV3trademark microcontroller in the depicted example of FIGS. 5-6 ). Othertypes of commercially available building blocks and DIY robotic kits maybe similarly used.

As shown at FIGS. 2-3 , reader 106 may include an array 116 ofindividually movable pins 118 that can be driven into the plane of thereader upon impact by the impact driver. Each pin can be moved in adirection perpendicular to the plane of the device. Ideally, each pin isactuated between a first position where a first end of the pin isembedded in the plane of the device while a second, opposite end of thepin is raised (or lowered) relative to the plane of the device; and asecond position where the second end of the pin is embedded in the planeof the device and the first end is raised (or lowered) relative to theplane. One of the first and second positions may be a default positionof the pins in the reader 106. Thus, during operation, the printhead maymove along an x-y plane to position the impact driver over a specificmoveable pin 118 of the array 116, and then the impact driver isactuated in a z-direction.

In some examples, the impact driver may be moved over the planar surfaceof the reader by the printhead and then actuated downwardly. Herein, theimpact driver is actuated to impact pins from above, thereby driving animpacted pin from a default position extending above the plane of thereader into the plane of the reader. In other examples, the impactdriver may be moved under the planar surface of the reader to impactpins from below, thereby driving an impacted pin from a default positionextending below the plane of the reader into the plane of the reader. Adirection of impacting may be determined based on various considerationssuch as housing and spatial constraints, as well the reader face (frontor rear face) that is to be provided to the user and read by the user.

Reader 106 may be sized and shaped as desired. For example, reader 106may be sized to correspond to a Braille terminal attached to computer102. The Braille terminal may be a standard sized terminal displaying 20to 80 Braille cells. In other examples, reader 106 may be sized tocorrespond to a standard sheet of paper used in a printer, such as A4sized paper, letter sized paper, etc, with multiple rows and columns ofBraille cells (e.g., multiple rows of 20-80 Braille cells). Furtherstill, reader 106 may be sized to correspond to a tablet or otherdisplay device.

Reader 106 may be made of plastic, polymers, silicone, or any othermaterial. In some embodiments, such as where the reader is manufacturedvia 3D printing, the reader may be made of a material compatible with 3Dprinting, such as polyamides, polypropylenes, polycarbonates, etc.Braille pins 118 embedded into the reader may be made of any materialthat does not deform immediately upon impact by the impact driver 110.For example, the pins may be made of metal wire, extruded plastic orresins, etc. The terminal ends of each pin may be softened andoptionally rounded to improve a user's tactile experience.

As shown in FIGS. 2-3 , reader 106 may include a planar surface 210 onwhich Braille pins 118 are arranged at uniform intervals. Reader 106 mayhave a depth D that is smaller than the length L of a given Braille pin118. A plurality of bores 212 may be provided through a depth of theplanar surface of the reader, each bore supporting a Braille pintherein. The Braille pins are of uniform size. In one exampleembodiment, when raised (or lowered) relative to the planar surface 210(such as raised segment 118 a or lowered segment 118 b), the region ofthe Braille pin exposed to the user's fingers corresponds to the size ofa standard embossed Braille dot. In some embodiments, the terminal endsof the Braille pin may have a stopping mechanism, such as a disc oflarger radius than the radius of the pin, that prevents the terminal endof the Braille pin from being driven inside the planar surface of thereader when impacted by the impact driver.

In some embodiments, pins of reader 106 may be adjusted both in size andclustering so that the display generates patterns representative ofBraille characters that are the same size as conventional Braillecharacters. However, in other embodiments, the pins may be sized andpositioned such that the display generates patterns representative ofBraille characters that have been scaled up or down relative to aconventional character, or that are representative of an alternateBraille font type.

An example usage of the disclosed reader is shown at FIG. 4 wherein auser 400 holds the reader 106 and moves their finger over the series ofraised and lowered Braille pins 118 a, 118 b to identify Braillecharacters corresponding to the specific sequence of pins in eachBraille cell 402.

Braille pins 118 may be provided at the reader 106 at uniform intervalsthat correspond to the standard spacing between Braille dots of astandard Braille cell. In one example embodiment, the height of eachBraille pin is selected so that the nominal height of each pin relativeto the planar surface of the reader 106 is at least 0.019 inches [0.48mm]. Each pin may have a nominal base diameter of 0.057 inches [1.44mm]. Pins are arranged so that the nominal distance from the center ofone pin to the center of an adjacent pin (horizontally or vertically,but not diagonally), at least in reference to a given Braille cell, isat least 0.092 inches [2.340 mm]. Further, pins may be arranged incell-wise format to provide a nominal distance of at least 0.245 inches[6.2 mm] from center to center of corresponding pins in adjacent cells.Further, line spacing between Braille pins on one line and a subsequentline may be 0.400 inches [1.000 cm]. By arranging the pins on the readerto be in conformity with standard Braille dot positioning, a user may beable to effortlessly transition from embossed Braille dots as providedon standard Braille paper and the Braille reader of the presentinvention.

In some examples, Braille reader 106 may have a rectangular framesurrounding the edges of the planar surface. The frame may be designedto allow for easy attachment and detachment from a Braille terminalcoupled to a computer, and/or to provide the user with an easy way tohold the device. The frame may include ergonomic features, such asergonomic angles, handles, loops, and bends, to improve user handlingexperience. In embodiments where only one of the reader surfaces (e.g.,front or rear) is used to display Braille text, the reader may have amarking, such as a notch, a raised design, a rib, a logo, etc., thatenables a user to know which surface is to be read.

Once a user has finished reading the Braille pattern displayed onBraille reader 106, the display may be refreshed. Various methods may beused to refresh the display. A “refresh” function may be included in thetext generator, such as in the form of a refresh module. As one example,when a “refresh” command is received from the user at the computer, a“refresh” action is performed at the text generator 108 wherein theprinthead moves the impact driver over each umimpacted Braille pin(O-pin) of the display device and drives it in such that at the end ofthe refresh operation, all Braille pins are returned to a defaultposition in which each Braille pin is pushed in (all I-pinconfiguration). In other examples, the refresh function may be providedvia a mechanism that is separate from the text generator. In someembodiments, instead of use the text generator having a motor actuatedimpact driver to impact the pins, refreshing is achieved manually.Therein, impacting individual pins of the reader 106 can be achievedmanually. For example, a manual device, such as a mallet, mechanicalroller or hammer, or a stamp with a flat surface, may be used by theuser to refresh the Braille reader by manually driving all Braille pinsinto the default position. In one example, the user may move the rolleror stamp over the surface of the reader 106 to drive all pins to thedefault position. Still other methods of refreshing may be used. Oncerefreshed, the Braille reader 106 is ready for displaying new Brailletext or content. If manually refreshed, the user may reload the readerinto the text generator so that it is ready for generating a new Brailletext via the impact drivers. The reader is reloaded into the textgenerator in a configuration based on a selection of the surface ontowhich the new Braille text is to be generated. An example refreshoperation performed via impact driver(s) of a text generator isdescribed below with reference to method 1000 of FIG. 10 .

Turning now to FIG. 8 , an example method 800 is shown for convertingtext displayed on a computer, such as computer 102 of FIG. 1 , to aBraille pattern for display on a refreshable Braille reader, such asreader 106 of FIG. 1 . At least a portion of the steps of method 800 maybe performed at the text generator component of the Braille displaysystem.

At 802, text is received for conversion into a Braille patternrepresentative of a Braille text version of the received text. Thereceived text includes text, images, graphs, etc., that are receivedfrom a computer. Herein the text includes content selected by a user forconversion into a Braille text. At 804, the received text is convertedinto Braille text. For example, a text conversion module of thecomputer, or of a text generator device coupled to the computer, may beconfigured with code for translating each alphabet of the text receivedat 802 into a corresponding Braille letter, adapted in the form of adefined set of dots in a 2×3 matrix. A Braille pattern is subsequentlygenerated via the actions of impact drivers that actuate a series ofBraille pins of a refreshable Braille reader. The module may rely on adatabase that stores each alphabet letter and its corresponding Brailleletter. In other embodiments, the text conversion module is configuredwith code for converting any received non-Braille content into a Brailleformat.

At 806, the conversion module further converts the Braille letter into aBraille pattern of raised and lowered pins. This is achieved byconverting each Braille letter or character into a series of impact (I)or non-impact (O) decisions for corresponding Braille pins of thereader. For example, each dot of the Braille character (e.g., in 2×3matrix) is translated into an I-pin including an impact decision for thecorresponding Braille pin, while each remaining space of the character(e.g., of the 2×3 matrix) is translated into an O-pin including ano-impact decision for the corresponding Braille pins. It will beappreciated, based on the default position of the pins of the reader, orthe target reader face on which the Braille pattern is to be displayed,the converse may be true.

As an example, the conversion is determined as a function of the surfaceof the reader onto which the Braille pattern is to be generated. In someembodiments, the Braille pattern is, by default, generated on a first,front surface of the reader. This corresponds to the surface onto whichthe impact driver acts and on which an impacted pin is lowered uponactuation. In other embodiments, the Braille pattern is, by default,generated on a second, bottom surface of the reader, opposite the frontsurface. This corresponds to the surface from which an impacted pin israised upon actuation by the impact driver. In still other embodiments,the reading surface is selectable by a user and the text generation isadjusted in accordance.

In the examples described below, the impact driver is shown acting on afront surface of the reader to create the Braille pattern on theopposite surface. This is not meant to be limiting. It will beappreciated that the series of I-pins and O-pins will be reversed whenthe impact driver is operated on the front surface to create Braillepattern on the same front surface.

With reference to the example of FIG. 11 , an alphabet text character1102 (the letter G) is translated into a Braille text character 1104which includes two I-pins and four O-pins in Braille cell 1106. In thisspecific character, the two pins of the bottom row of the 2×3 matrix ofBraille cell 1106 are I-pins while remaining pins are O-pins. Thus, itis determined that the impact driver needs to impact, on the frontsurface of the reader, the bottom two pins of this Braille cell whilenot impacting the remaining pins of this particular Braille cell tocreate the given Braille pattern on the opposite surface.

It will be appreciated that to the create the same Braille character1104 on the front surface of the reader, the impact driver would need toimpact the two pins of the first and second row of Braille cell 1106,thereby lowering them, while not impacting the bottom two pins (1151 a,1151 b) of Braille cell 1106, thereby leaving them raised.

Returning to FIG. 8 , at 808, the sequence of I-pins and O-pinsdetermined based on the Braille pattern is programmed as a series ofimpact and non-impact decisions, and accordingly the text generator mayselect a printhead and motor setting for the impact driver of the textgenerator. In configurations such as those shown in FIG. 7A, where thereader is moved along an x-y plane via a first printhead, the settingsof the first printhead may be adjusted to position an I-pin pincorresponding to an I-pin Braille dot of a first Braille cell below theimpact driver at the onset of the operation. Then, a printhead of theimpact driver and motor settings for the impact driver (including powerof impact, frequency of impact, and duration of impact) may be selectedto drive the Braille pin in a z-direction. At 810, the printhead andmotor are actuated to operate the impact driver and impact a selectedBraille. In one example, the actuation is enabled based on signalsreceived from the microprocessor of the text generator. This actiongenerates a Braille text via the Braille pins of the reader as anequivalent of the Braille dot on Braille paper. In configurations suchas those shown in FIG. 7B, where the impact driver is moved relative toan x-y plane of the reader via a printhead, the settings of theprinthead and the motor settings for the impact driver may be adjustedtogether to position the impact driver relative to a target Braille pinand then drive the Braille pin in a z-direction to generate theequivalent of the Braille dot on the reader. In each case, an impactdecision (I) for an I-pin results in the impact driver being actuated tomove the Braille pin creating the equivalent of a Braille dot, while anon-impact decision (O) for an O-pin results in the impact driverskipping the pin at that position.

Steps 808 and 810 are reiterated to impact Braille pins of the Braillereader in a sequence that generates a series of Braille dotscorresponding to the Braille pattern determined at 804. A detaileddescription of the method of steps 808-810 is described with referenceto the method of FIG. 9 . In some examples, the impact driver may bepositioned to impact pins and create one Braille cell at a time. Inother examples, as illustrated with reference to the example of FIG. 11, the text generator may be operated to move in a first direction 1110,from a first (e.g., left) edge of the reader to an opposite (e.g.,right) edge of the reader, along a row, and impact selected pins ofconsecutive Braille cells. Upon reaching the opposite edge, the impactdriver is repositioned at a subsequent row (which may be above or belowthe initial row) and then moved in a second direction 1112, opposite thefirst direction, from the opposite edge towards the first edge, andimpact selected pins of consecutive Braille cells of this row.Alternatively, the impact driver may only move unidirectionally. Afterimpacting Braille pins of a first row, the impact driver may berepositioned at the first edge of the reader at the subsequent row andmay restart the operation while moving from the first edge towards theopposite edge in the first direction 1110.

A detailed method of performing the steps of positioning and actuatingthe impact driver to create a Braille pattern (or Braille dotequivalents) on the reader is now described at method 900.

At 902, the impact driver is positioned at a defined starting point.This may be a default position of the impact driver relative to thereader at the onset of a text generation procedure. In one example, thedefault position is a first corner of the reader, such as a top leftcorner. In another example, the default position is at the leftmost edgeof the reader along a first, top-most row of Braille pins.

At 904, the impact driver is positioned over a first pin selected forbeing impacted (I-pin) on the current row. This may include moving aprinthead coupled to the impact driver to position the driver over theBraille pin or moving a printhead coupled to the reader to position theselected Braille pin under the impact driver. Once positioned, theimpact driver is actuated. This includes operating the motor of theimpact driver to drive the impact driver onto the top surface of theselected Braille pin, thereby driving the pin into the plane of thereader. Based on motor settings, the impact driver may be driven ontothe Braille pin once or a plurality of times (e.g., 2 times, or 3 times)to ensure that the pin has been properly impacted. In embodiments wherethe Braille pins are driven in to create non-textual Braille content(e.g., images, maps, etc.), the motor settings may be adjusted toprovide an impact force that displaces the pin based on the non-textualcontent.

Once this pin has been actuated, step 904 is repeated to position theimpact driver over a subsequent pin selected for being impacted on thecurrent row. Herein, the pins between the first pin and the subsequentpin of the given row are all determined to be non-impact (O) pins. Inthis way, step 904 is repeated until all defined I-pins of the given rowhave been impacted and the impact driver has reached the end of thecurrent row (such as when the impact driver reaches the second edge ofthe reader). In some systems, a mechanical stopper may define the edgesof the reader and it may be inferred that the edge of the reader, andthe ending point of the impact driver, has been reached when the impactdriver touches the mechanical stopper.

At 906, upon confirming that all identified I-pins of the current rowhave been impacted, the method moves to 908 wherein the impact driver ispositioned at the starting point of the next row. In one example, wherethe impact driver is configured for unidirectional movement, thestarting point for the next row may be the leftmost edge of the readeralong the selected row of Braille pins. Alternatively, where the impactdriver is configured for bidirectional movement, the starting point forthe next row may be the rightmost edge of the reader along the selectedrow of Braille pins, immediately below the ending point for the previousrow.

At 910, as at 904, the impact driver is positioned over a first pin ofthe given row that is selected for being impacted (I-pin). Oncepositioned, the impact driver is actuated.

Turning now to FIG. 11 , an example conversion of regular text to aBraille pattern representative of Braille text by moving the impactdriver along a row of pins and impacting selected pins is shown. In thedepicted example, the text comprises four letters which are joined tocreate the word G-R-I-T. Braille pins are arranged in clusters thatresult in Braille cells 1106 (of 2×3 format) being created. The top rowof pins includes the top 2 pins of each of 4 consecutive Braille cells,the next row of pins includes the middle 2 pins of each of the 4 Braillecells, and the bottom row of pins includes the bottom 2 pins of each ofthe 4 Braille cells (hereafter referred to Braille cells 1, 2, 3, 4).

On the first pass, as shown at 1120, while moving over the top row in afirst direction 1110, the impact driver is positioned to impact I-pins1132, 1133, and 1134 of Braille cells 2, 3, and 4, respectively, whileskipping remaining pins of this row. On the second pass, as shown at1130, while moving over the middle row in a second direction 1112, theimpact driver is positioned to only impact I-pin 1143 of Braille cell 3while skipping all remaining pins of this row. On the third pass, asshown at 1140, while moving over the bottom row again in the firstdirection 1110, the impact driver is positioned to impact I-pins 1151 aand 1151 b of Braille cell 1, I-pin 1152 of Braille cell 2, I-pins 1153a, and 1153 b of Braille cell 3 and 1154 of Braille cell 4. In this way,G-R-I-T (character 1102) is converted to the corresponding Braille text(character 1104).

It will be appreciated that while the approach shows pins on alternatingrows being impacted by moving in alternating directions 1110, 1112, inother examples, where the printheads move unidirectionally (onlydirection 1110 or direction 1112), the same pins may be impacted onconsecutive unidirectional passes of the impact driver.

After receiving an impact force from the impact driver, the impactedI-Braille pins are held in place without the need for any externalsupport. In particular, friction between the pins and the body of theBraille reader is sufficient to hold the pins in a given position (asshown in FIG. 2 ) until impacted again to change position. That is, thepins are self-held in place via the tautness of the interaction betweenthe pin and the perforation the pin is positioned in, without the needfor any latching mechanism or electrical, mechanical, orelectromechanical force.

It will be appreciated that while the examples show the Braille pins ofthe Braille reader being impacted by the impact driver of the textgenerator to create Braille text on the reader, in other embodiments,the text may be created manually. For example, a person may createBraille text on the Braille reader for a user by manually adjusting theposition of individual Braille pins of individual Braille cells tocreate the text.

Method 1000 of FIG. 10 describes an example refresh operation that maybe executed by operating an impact driver of a text generator. Themethod enables the same impact driver that is used for generating theBraille pattern representative of the Braille text on the display deviceby impacting pins to also be used to refresh the reader after theBraille pattern (and its equivalent text) has been read.

At 1002, upon confirming that a refresh command has been received from auser, such as at a computer terminal coupled to the text generator, themethod moves to 1004 wherein the impact driver is positioned at astarting point for a refresh operation. In one example, the startingpoint is at or above the leftmost Braille pin of a top row of thereader. From the starting point, at 1006, a printhead and motor isactuated to move the impact driver over a first non-impacted pin (O-pin)of the current row and then operate the impact driver to drive the O-pininto the plane of the reader. Then the impact driver is repositionedover the next O-pin of the current row and then the impact driver isoperated to drive the O-pin in. This step is continued until all O-pinsof the current row have been driven in. As a result, all Braille pins ofthe current row are now impacted into the reader and thereby “refreshed”to a common position. At 1008, the impact driver is positioned at thestarting point of the next row and the step of impacting each O-pin ofthe given row is now repeated until all pins of the current row aredriven in. Steps 1006-1008 are reiterated until all Braille pins of thereader have been refreshed.

Embodiments are disclosed of a refreshable Braille displaying device,comprising a body having a front surface and a rear surface, and aplurality of perforations that run through the body between the frontand rear surface; and a plurality of Braille pins individuallyaccommodated within the plurality of perforations of the body, each ofthe plurality of pins configured to be impacted between a first positionextending through the body and protruding out of the front surface, anda second position extending through the body and protruding out of therear surface, wherein one or more of the plurality of pins areconfigured to be impacted to create a pattern of raised and loweredpins, the pattern corresponding to a Braille text that is displayed onthe device for reading by a user via tactile interaction, the raised andlowered pins of the pattern held in place via friction between the pinsand the body. In further embodiments of the device, additionally oroptionally, the raised and lowered pins of the pattern are held in placewithout mechanical or electrical support. In further embodiments of thedevice, additionally or optionally, the plurality of perforations aredistributed through the body in clusters, and wherein the individuallyaccommodated Braille pins in each cluster are impacted to create asingle Braille character of the Braille text. In further embodiments ofthe device, additionally or optionally, the pattern corresponding to theBraille text is based on a non-Braille text. In further embodiments ofthe device, additionally or optionally, the non-Braille text and theBraille text are in a common language. In further embodiments of thedevice, additionally or optionally, the non-Braille text and the Brailletext are in different languages. In further embodiments of the device,additionally or optionally, the device is configured to be coupled to atext generator having an impact driver, the text generatorcommunicatively coupled to a controller with computer-readableinstructions, and wherein the one or more of the plurality of pins areconfigured to be impacted by the impact driver of the text generator inaccordance with the non-Braille text received at the text generator fromthe controller. In further embodiments of the device, additionally oroptionally, the pattern corresponding to the Braille text is generatedon the front surface of the body. In further embodiments of the device,additionally or optionally, the pattern corresponding to the Brailletext is generated on the rear surface of the body. In furtherembodiments of the device, additionally or optionally, a defaultposition of the plurality of pins of the device includes each of theplurality of pins in the first position or each of the plurality of pinsin the second position. In further embodiments of the device,additionally or optionally, the pattern of raised and lowered pins isconfigured to be refreshed wherein each of the plurality of pins isreturned to the default position. In further embodiments of the device,additionally or optionally, the device is refreshed manually or via theimpact driver of the text generator.

Embodiments are also disclosed of a refreshable Braille display system,comprising a controller with computer-readable instructions forreceiving a non-Braille text and converting the non-Braille text into aBraille text; a mechanical display device comprising a perforated body,and a plurality of Braille pins individually accommodated within aplurality of perforations of the perforated body, the pins held in placevia friction between each individual pin and a correspondingperforation, wherein one or more of the plurality of pins are configuredto be impacted to display a pattern of raised and lowered pinscorresponding to the Braille text, the displayed pattern correspondingto the Braille text configured to be read by a user via tactileinteraction; and a text-generator device comprising an impact driver, amotor for actuating the impact driver, a surface for receiving thedisplay device thereon, a printhead configured to position the impactdriver relative to a Braille pin of the received display device, and amicroprocessor. In further embodiments of the system, additionally oroptionally, the controller includes instructions for receiving thenon-Braille text in a first language and converting the non-Braille textinto Braille text in a second, different language. In furtherembodiments of the system, additionally or optionally, themicroprocessor includes instructions for selecting the one or more ofthe plurality of pins to be impacted by the impact driver based on theBraille text generated at the controller. In further embodiments of thesystem, additionally or optionally, the microprocessor includesinstructions for actuating the printhead to sequentially position theimpact driver over the selected one or more of the plurality of Braillepins. In further embodiments of the system, additionally or optionally,the microprocessor includes instructions for actuating the impact driverto sequentially apply an impacting force on the selected one or more ofthe plurality of Braille pins. In further embodiments of the system,additionally or optionally, the impacting force applied by the impactdriver transitions a corresponding Braille pin between a first positionextending through the perforated body and protruding out of a front orrear surface of the perforated body, to a second position extendingthrough the body and protruding out of a remaining of the front or rearsurface. In further embodiments of the system, additionally oroptionally, the sequential application of the impacting force by theimpact driver displays the pattern of raised and lowered pinscorresponding to the Braille text on the front surface of the perforatedbody of the display device. In further embodiments of the system,additionally or optionally, the sequential application of the impactingforce by the impact driver displays the pattern of raised and loweredpins corresponding to the Braille text on the rear surface of theperforated body of the display device. In further embodiments of thesystem, additionally or optionally, the displayed pattern of raised andlowered pins includes the pins being held in place following theimpacting force via the friction and without external support. Infurther embodiments of the system, additionally or optionally, theplurality of pins are distributed through the perforated body inclusters, and wherein the impacting force is applied on individuallyaccommodated Braille pins of each cluster to create a single Braillecharacter of the Braille text. In further embodiments of the system,additionally or optionally, the microprocessor includes furtherinstructions for, after the pattern is displayed on the display device,refreshing the display device by returning each of the plurality of pinsto a default position, the default position including each of theplurality of pins in the first position or each of the plurality of pinsin the second position.

Embodiments are also disclosed of a method for displaying Braille text.An example method comprises receiving a non-Braille text; translatingthe non-Braille text into a Braille text characterized by a pattern ofdots; and displaying the Braille text by adjusting a position of one ormore Braille pins of a display device to create a series of raised andlowered pins corresponding to the pattern of dots, wherein following theadjusting, the raised and lowered Braille pins are held in place in thedisplay device only via friction. In further embodiments of the method,additionally or optionally, the translating includes converting eachcharacter of the non-Braille text into a corresponding character of theBraille text, wherein each corresponding character of the Braille textis configured as a unique sequence of dots and empty spaces, and whereinthe position of one or more Braille pins of the display device areadjusted to generate a raised pin for each dot of the unique sequenceand a lowered pin for each empty space of the unique sequence. Infurther embodiments of the method, additionally or optionally, thedisplay device includes a perforated body with a plurality of theBraille pins, each Braille pin individually accommodated within eachperforation of the perforated body, the plurality of Braille pinsorganized in a matrix of rows and columns, and wherein the adjustingincludes operating an impact driver to sequentially raise or lowerBraille pins of a given row of the matrix in accordance with the patternof dots. In further embodiments of the method, additionally oroptionally, the impact driver is operated to sequentially raise or lowerBraille pins of a first row of the matrix in accordance with the patternof dots before sequentially raising or lowering Braille pins of asecond, subsequent row of the matrix in accordance with the pattern ofdots. In further embodiments of the method, additionally or optionally,a direction of motion of the impact driver along the first row is sameas the direction of motion along the second row. In further embodimentsof the method, additionally or optionally, a direction of motion of theimpact driver along the first row is opposite the direction of motionalong the second row. In further embodiments of the method, additionallyor optionally, sequentially raising or lowering Braille pins of thegiven row of the matrix in accordance with the pattern of dots includessequentially raising or lowering Braille pins to sequentially display atleast a portion of a first character of the Braille text and then atleast a portion of a second, subsequent character of the Braille text.

As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, the methodsdescribed herein represent one or more of any number of processingstrategies such as event-driven, interrupt-driven, multi-tasking,multi-threading, and the like. As such, various steps or functionsillustrated may be performed in the sequence illustrated, in parallel,or in some cases omitted. Likewise, the order of processing is notnecessarily required to achieve the objects, features, and advantagesdescribed herein, but is provided for ease of illustration anddescription. Although not explicitly illustrated, one of ordinary skillin the art will recognize that one or more of the illustrated steps orfunctions may be repeatedly performed depending on the particularstrategy being used.

This concludes the description. While the invention has been describedwith reference to specific embodiments, modifications and variations ofthe invention may be constructed without departing from the scope of theinvention, which is defined in the following claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A refreshable Braille displaying device,comprising: a body having a front surface and a rear surface, and aplurality of perforations that run through the body between the frontand rear surface; and a plurality of Braille pins individuallyaccommodated within the plurality of perforations of the body, each ofthe plurality of pins configured to be impacted between a first positionextending through the body and protruding out of the front surface, anda second position extending through the body and protruding out of therear surface, wherein one or more of the plurality of pins areconfigured to be impacted to create a pattern of raised and loweredpins, the pattern corresponding to a Braille text that is displayed onthe device for reading by a user via tactile interaction, the raised andlowered pins of the pattern held in place via friction between the pinsand the body.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the raised and loweredpins of the pattern are held in place without mechanical or electricalsupport.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of perforationsare distributed through the body in clusters, and wherein theindividually accommodated Braille pins in each cluster are impacted tocreate a single conventional-sized Braille character of the Brailletext.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the pattern corresponding to theBraille text is based on a non-Braille input, the non-Braille inputincluding non-Braille text.
 5. The device of claim 4, wherein thenon-Braille text and the Braille text are in a common language orwherein the non-Braille text and the Braille text are in differentlanguages.
 6. The device of claim 4, wherein the device is configured tobe coupled to a text generator having an impact driver, the textgenerator communicatively coupled to a controller with computer-readableinstructions, and wherein the one or more of the plurality of pins areconfigured to be impacted by the impact driver of the text generator inaccordance with the non-Braille text received at the text generator fromthe controller.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the patterncorresponding to the Braille text is generated on the front or rearsurface of the body, and wherein a default position of the plurality ofpins of the device includes each of the plurality of pins in the firstposition or each of the plurality of pins in the second position.
 8. Thedevice of claim 7, wherein the pattern of raised and lowered pins isconfigured to be refreshed wherein each of the plurality of pins isreturned to the default position, and wherein the device is refreshedmanually or via the impact driver of the text generator.
 9. Arefreshable Braille display system, comprising: a controller withcomputer-readable instructions for receiving a non-Braille input andconverting the non-Braille input into a Braille output; a mechanicaldisplay device comprising a perforated body, and a plurality of Braillepins individually accommodated within a plurality of perforations of theperforated body, the pins held in place via friction between eachindividual pin and a corresponding perforation, wherein one or more ofthe plurality of pins are configured to be impacted to display a patternof raised and lowered pins corresponding to the Braille output, thedisplayed pattern corresponding to the Braille output configured to beread by a user via tactile interaction; and a text-generator devicecomprising an impact driver, a motor for actuating the impact driver, asurface for receiving the display device thereon, a printhead configuredto position the impact driver relative to a Braille pin of the receiveddisplay device, and a microprocessor.
 10. The system of claim 9, whereinthe non-Braille input includes one or more of a textual input, an imageinput, and a tabular input, and wherein the controller includesinstructions for receiving the non-Braille input in a first language andconverting the non-Braille input into Braille output in a second,different language.
 11. The system of claim 9, wherein themicroprocessor includes instructions for: selecting the one or more ofthe plurality of pins to be impacted by the impact driver based on theBraille output generated at the controller; and actuating the printheadto sequentially position the impact driver over the selected one or moreof the plurality of Braille pins.
 12. The system of claim 11, whereinthe microprocessor includes instructions for actuating the impact driverto sequentially apply an impacting force on the selected one or more ofthe plurality of Braille pins, wherein the impacting force applied bythe impact driver transitions a corresponding Braille pin between afirst position extending through the perforated body and protruding outof a front or rear surface of the perforated body, to a second positionextending through the body and protruding out of a remaining of thefront or rear surface.
 13. The system of claim 11, wherein thesequential application of the impacting force by the impact driverdisplays the pattern of raised and lowered pins corresponding to theBraille output on the front surface or the rear surface of theperforated body of the display device.
 14. The system of claim 13,wherein the displayed pattern of raised and lowered pins includes thepins being held in place following the impacting force via frictionbetween the pins and the display device and wherein the pins are held inplace without external support.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein theplurality of pins are distributed through the perforated body inclusters, wherein the impacting force is applied on individuallyaccommodated Braille pins of each cluster to create a single Braillecharacter of the Braille output, wherein the single Braille character issized to have standard Braille character dimensions, and wherein themicroprocessor includes further instructions for, after the pattern isdisplayed on the display device, refreshing the display device byreturning each of the plurality of pins to a default position, thedefault position including each of the plurality of pins in the firstposition or each of the plurality of pins in the second position.
 16. Amethod, comprising: receiving a non-Braille text; translating thenon-Braille text into a Braille text characterized by a pattern of dots;and displaying the Braille text by adjusting a position of one or moreBraille pins of a display device to create a series of raised andlowered pins corresponding to the pattern of dots, wherein following theadjusting, the raised and lowered Braille pins are held in place in thedisplay device only via friction.
 17. The method of claim 16, whereinthe translating includes converting each character of the non-Brailletext into a corresponding character of the Braille text, wherein eachcorresponding character of the Braille text is configured as a uniquesequence of dots and empty spaces, and wherein the position of one ormore Braille pins of the display device are adjusted to generate araised pin for each dot of the unique sequence and a lowered pin foreach empty space of the unique sequence.
 18. The method of claim 16,wherein the display device includes a perforated body with a pluralityof the Braille pins, each Braille pin individually accommodated withineach perforation of the perforated body, the plurality of Braille pinsorganized in a matrix of rows and columns, and wherein the adjustingincludes operating an impact driver to sequentially raise or lowerBraille pins of a given row of the matrix in accordance with the patternof dots.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the impact driver isoperated to sequentially raise or lower Braille pins of a first row ofthe matrix in accordance with the pattern of dots before sequentiallyraising or lowering Braille pins of a second, subsequent row of thematrix in accordance with the pattern of dots.
 20. The method of claim19, wherein a direction of motion of the impact driver along the firstrow is same as, or opposite to, the direction of motion along the secondrow, and wherein sequentially raising or lowering Braille pins of thegiven row of the matrix in accordance with the pattern of dots includessequentially raising or lowering Braille pins to sequentially display atleast a portion of a first character of the Braille text and then atleast a portion of a second, subsequent character of the Braille text.